Can you spot the difference between these two photographs? Both of them feature a bare-faced Lucy Young.

So why, then, in the photo on the right does she look so wide-eyed, youthful and glamorous?

No more make-up has been applied. She hasn’t had an invasive treatment, and yet her eyes look bigger, her face lifted and she appears nowhere near her 49 years.

The answer is a two-hour beauty treatment that costs between £50 to £200 and needs to be painstakingly touched up every two to four weeks.

But as costly and time-consuming as this sounds, eyelash extensions — where individual hairs are applied to the existing eyelash — are a new secret weapon for women of a certain age. So would you dare to fake it?

Lucy Young, 49, (pictured) from London gave her verdict on the two-hour beauty treatment which transforms eyelashes for up to four weeks

HOW THEY FAKE IT

Lash extensions are made from the same synthetic fibres as make-up brushes, but far finer.

Unlike the strips of stick-on lashes you can buy on the High Street, they are applied to the 100 or so natural lashes on the upper lid to give extra length and volume.

The average natural lash is between five and nine millimetres long; extensions can be up to 12mm.

Lucy had 410 glued along her top lid, a two-hour process that is meant to be so relaxing many customers nod off.

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The cost varies depending on location and brand; Central London prices might be around £200, but in the Lake District it’s more like £50.

It’s a bespoke process because the therapist will choose lashes to flatter your bone structure. There are C curls and J curls (lash gradients that depend on how long and straight your own lashes are) which are applied according to the shape of your eye — longer in the middle on rounder eyes or towards the edges on eyes with wide sockets.

THE A-LIST SECRET

Once seen as the preserve of Kim Kardashian and Love Island contestants, eyelash extensions can now be spotted on many women in the public eye.

Lucy (pictured) says she was impressed with the results but would have less lash extensions applied in future for a more natural look

Some say the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister-in-law Meghan are among those who’ve succumbed. Scrutinise recent pictures and their lashes certainly seem far longer than mere mascara would allow.

According to the Guild of Professional Beauty Therapists, lash treatments are now the second most popular service in salons after nails. Almost nine million were carried out around the country last year.

‘We’ve seen an increase of 15 per cent in lash extension treatments since the beginning of this year and a surge of requests following the royal wedding in May — we call it the Meghan Markle Sparkle effect,’ says Elena Lavagni, founder of Neville Hair & Beauty in Knightsbridge.

It is particularly popular with women over 30 thanks to its youth-boosting results.

LOOKING AFTER YOUR BAMBI LASHES

Once complete, the lashes can last between two and four weeks depending on natural lash growth (they fall out with the natural lash). But it’s high-maintenance: you can’t get the lash extensions wet for 24 hours after they’re applied and they must be washed every day to avoid infection.

Lash expert Loreta Jasilionyte, predicts mascara will one day be over as last extensions can look just as natural (file image)

This involves massaging a special foam through the lashes, rinsing them with water, patting them dry and then combing them with a ‘spoolie’ brush (which can be picked up for under £5). The foam cleanser by Loreta costs £14.99, and the process takes a couple of minutes. If you wear mascara, you need a specially designed shampoo to remove it from the lash.

Standard liquid-eyeliners can affect the glue of lash extensions, so use one without oils, such as the Flawless Eyeliner (£14.95, flawlesslashesbyloreta.com), which has a fibre-tipped pen.

GOODBYE MASCARA?

Some say that lash extensions could mean the end of mascara. The lashes themselves widen the eye and provide density of colour, making mascara obsolete.

‘The time for mascara will one day be over,’ predicts lash expert Loreta Jasilionyte, who launched her franchise Flawless Lashes in 2013 and now has a global brand with 27 trainers.

‘Extensions can look as natural as mascara, and mascara can be damaging; you have to clean it off every night, tugging at the delicate skin around the eyes.’ If you don’t have the time or cash for extensions then the lastest mascaras feature fibre technology to add thickness and length to lashes without clumping — Maybelline has one called False Lash Effect (£10.99, boots.com).

The sales of old-fashioned false eyelashes such as Ardell Baby Demi Wispies and MAC 33 Lash are booming (file image)

OLD-FASHIONED FALSIES

Old-fashioned false eyelashes are the most obvious — and far cheaper — alternative to lash extensions. These lashes are set in strips that you glue on to your eyelid as close to the natural lash line as you can.

Sales are booming but they can be fiddly to apply yourself. For a subtle effect, look out for Ardell Baby Demi Wispies (from £5.49, superdrug.com) which are the shape of a natural eyelash.

Other discreet suggestions include the beautifully spaced MAC 33 Lash (£11.50, houseoffraser.co.uk) which come in separate little bundles, and Make Up For Ever Natural Impact False Lashes (£16, feelunique.com).

STRENGTHENING SERUMS

Serums which boost growth are another option. These strengthen lashes so they’re less likely to fall out or break.

Revitalash (£39, revitalash.co.uk), is the original lash serum and has sold more than 4.9 million since 2007. Or there’s Instant Effects Lash Volumiser (£24.99, myinstanteffects.com), which infuses the hairs with OX2 technology to help thicken and boost growth. The firm’s clinical trials show an up to 40 per cent increase in the thickness of individual hairs after two weeks.

Beyonce's skin doctor Dr Harold Lancer, is among the experts who are producing serums to stimulate the growth of natural lashes (file image)

. . . AND LUCY’S OWN VERDICT

Lucy, who lives in London with her husband Nick and their two children, Archie, seven and Poppy, three, says such is the power of her new set of eyelash extensions, Nick commented that her eyes looked ‘sexy’.

She says: ‘My eyelashes are quite short and fine, and much as I scrutinise the promises on the mascara bottles in the shops I’ve never managed to double either the length or thickness like this.

‘I’m very impressed with the result. I’m not sure I look much younger but the extensions are surprisingly comfortable.’

So would she get them again?

‘Yes but perhaps not as many, as I’d want to look more natural in the daytime. But these are great at night. Worth the time and money for a swift makeover.’